Post job

Substance abuse technician vs mental health counselor

The differences between substance abuse technicians and mental health counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a substance abuse technician, becoming a mental health counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a mental health counselor has an average salary of $49,471, which is higher than the $35,408 average annual salary of a substance abuse technician.

The top three skills for a substance abuse technician include substance abuse treatment, patients and mental health. The most important skills for a mental health counselor are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.

Substance abuse technician vs mental health counselor overview

Substance Abuse TechnicianMental Health Counselor
Yearly salary$35,408$49,471
Hourly rate$17.02$23.78
Growth rate4%9%
Number of jobs90,710110,752
Job satisfaction-2
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age3941
Years of experience64

What does a substance abuse technician do?

A substance abuse technician works at facilities that aim to support the treatment of clients suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction, and other interfering behavior. They work alongside counselors and fellow technicians in the joint effort to implement rehabilitation programs and help patients reach their journey to sobriety. Moreover, a substance abuse technician develops and coordinates treatment plans with health care professionals, conducts research and assessments, administers medications according to protocols, and monitors the patients' progress throughout the rehabilitation processes.

What does a mental health counselor do?

A mental health counselor is responsible for helping patients deal with their emotional and mental disorders by developing treatment plans and conducting regular counseling to track the patient's progress and condition. Mental health counselors encourage active communication from their patients, provide coping strategies for triggering situations, seek advice from other health care professionals, and guide patients on doing other activities that would help them relax. A mental health counselor must have excellent knowledge of the mental health disciplines to assist patients in their healthy lifestyle development.

Substance abuse technician vs mental health counselor salary

Substance abuse technicians and mental health counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Substance Abuse TechnicianMental Health Counselor
Average salary$35,408$49,471
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $49,000Between $34,000 And $70,000
Highest paying CityKingman, AZLongview, WA
Highest paying stateHawaiiWashington
Best paying companySea Mar Community Health CentersFamily Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services
Best paying industryManufacturingHealth Care

Differences between substance abuse technician and mental health counselor education

There are a few differences between a substance abuse technician and a mental health counselor in terms of educational background:

Substance Abuse TechnicianMental Health Counselor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Substance abuse technician vs mental health counselor demographics

Here are the differences between substance abuse technicians' and mental health counselors' demographics:

Substance Abuse TechnicianMental Health Counselor
Average age3941
Gender ratioMale, 33.7% Female, 66.3%Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage12%15%

Differences between substance abuse technician and mental health counselor duties and responsibilities

Substance abuse technician example responsibilities.

  • Work with outside counsel to develop patent and trademark portfolio and manage patent litigation.
  • Coordinate community base services, identifies high-risk patients, veterans and provides case management and crisis intervention services.
  • Provide care to chemically dependent patients in short-term social model detox program working directly with patients/families in all areas of recovery.
  • Collect sample for DNA testing.
  • Compose written reports of data collect from patient evaluation and present to department chief for thorough analysis of patient diagnosis.
  • Maintain the integrity of all specimens under DOT/non-DOT guidelines.
  • Show more

Mental health counselor example responsibilities.

  • Provide clinical consultation to consumers and clients regarding manage care services and other benefits available to them through their EAP programs.
  • Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
  • Certify in CPI (crisis intervention technique).
  • Assist with crisis intervention, (CPI) maintains treatment activities.
  • Provide mental health assessment and evaluation of detainees refer by facility staff or identify by pre-screening (booking or nursing).
  • Assess for special needs during booking process.
  • Show more

Substance abuse technician vs mental health counselor skills

Common substance abuse technician skills
  • Substance Abuse Treatment, 16%
  • Patients, 13%
  • Mental Health, 10%
  • Rehabilitation, 8%
  • Patient Care, 7%
  • Client Transportation, 5%
Common mental health counselor skills
  • Social Work, 17%
  • Patients, 16%
  • Crisis Intervention, 9%
  • Patient Care, 6%
  • Mental Health Issues, 5%
  • Rehabilitation, 4%

Browse community and social services jobs